It still amazes me why people ask me day after day the question of how a specific diet or training program can change their life. With Personal Training my clients for 20 years in Liverpool, Wirral, and coaching clients across the world, I’d say 80% of enquiries ask this very question.   

Most often, people are already aware of the benefits, and the reason they’re asking that question is that there are so many ways to start and go about it they just get overwhelmed!

And if you’re one of those people who just want to know what you have to do to burn fat, develop a little lean muscle to tone your body, and improve your overall health, then that’s exactly what you’re going to learn in this article. Along with guiding you on what to do, I’ll also cover the benefits so you can select which method or combination suits you best to achieve a Fit Body, Healthy Mind and Great Life!

If you’re looking to get fit, lose weight, enhance the look of your body, and perform at your very best in life, your workout program is always going to contain one or all of these three crucial elements:

• Weight training
• Bodyweight training
• Cardio

If you want to use fitness to achieve personal growth, fortify your health, and achieve a high-performance mind, body, and life, your workout program is going to consist of these three elements (or a variation of them.)

If you’re a cardio lover, resistance training will help you improve your endurance, your form, and your daily calorie burn. Not to mention, adding muscle helps you move efficiently throughout movements, as well as increases your metabolism.

Conversely, if you’re spending all your time in the gym lifting weights, you’ll find that doing more cardio will help you burn more fat than just training alone. Some forms of cardio, such as HIIT, even help you build more muscle.

It’s all about how you combine these three elements into a well-rounded program.

Let’s take a look at each of them individually so you can make smarter choices in the future.

WEIGHT TRAINING

Weight training builds your confidence, strengthens your body, and helps you burn even more fat.

Whether you choose to go with weightlifting, bodybuilding, or powerlifting, training with weights will help you develop a fit, lean, and stronger body. Along with this comes great self-confidence. If you want to look into this further, I’ve written a blog which cover’s how weight training can build self confidence in your life.

(Further reading: Weight Training to Build Self-confidence and a Great Body.)

Starting off your fitness journey with a routine that strengthens your body has many benefits. Ultimately, as your body becomes stronger, your metabolism gets more and more optimised, and your body becomes more effective at burning fat.

Research shows that, if you are someone who wants to lose weight sustainably and consistently, the best approach for you would be starting off with a strength training program and increasing your protein intake.

Some studies suggest that, out of a group of people who participate in high-intensity training, lift weights, and consistently stay at a calorie deficit, the people who aimed at consuming more protein lost 30% more fat (and gained as much as 7 times the lean muscle) than the people who didn’t up their protein intake. If you want geek-out you can take a look here [HEALTHY MUSCLE & WEIGHT LOSS]

Here’s a recap on weight training:

• Weight training helps you develop a better overall body composition (and not just burn a ton of fat around your waist.)
• Strength training will improve your metabolism and help your body burn more fat over the long haul.
• Regardless of whether you choose to start with cardio or muscle building, you should increase your intake of protein to achieve better results.

BODYWEIGHT TRAINING

Bodyweight training helps you lose weight, gain strength, improve your endurance, flexibility, mobility, and countless other activity factors. On top of that, it encompasses a wide variety of activities meaning anyone can find bodyweight training they can enjoy and stick with.

Bodyweight training encompasses strength-training exercises that essentially use the weight of your body to provide resistance against gravity.

Let’s be honest – we all know you can get fit without gym memberships and fancy equipment. If you’re someone who is always on the move or you participate in sports or high-intensity activities you already enjoy, getting fit should feel effortless.

The majority of bodyweight training exercises require no equipment whatsoever. That’s why bodyweight exercises are so convenient for when you’re on the move, travelling, or training at home.

With bodyweight training, you can work out for free – there are endless activities you can participate in (and actually enjoy very much.) Whether you’re someone who likes park workouts, playing football, and local hiking trails, or you’re someone who wants to do strength training exercises at home, bodyweight training is perfect for you.

It’s especially better for you as you get older because of all the endurance, stability, flexibility, and mobility you develop by doing bodyweight training.  

Here’s a recap on bodyweight training:

• Bodyweight training will help you build strength, lose weight, and gain endurance.
• Bodyweight training requires close to no equipment and can be done anywhere.
• There are countless bodyweight training activities you can enjoy whether you’re always on the move or you want to train at home, making it very effective and very sustainable.

For more details on bodyweight training at home have a read of my recent blog here: (Home personal trainer Wirral)

CARDIO TRAINING

Cardiovascular training, or cardio, in short, has countless benefits just like weight training does.

That being said, cardio’s therapeutic and cognitive benefits have been much more well-recorded than its counterpart, and we know for a fact that cardio is directly related to a long list of benefits including:

• Improved cardiovascular health
• Lower blood pressure
• Better weight management, weight loss
• Helps regulate blood sugar
• Fat burn
• Better sleep
• Stronger immune system
• Reduces chronic pain
• Improves brain power

If you want to explore more benefits of cardio training take a look at the blog I wrote: (Fitness Training for the Heart and the Mind)

And so, the list goes on and on, with cardio still being the most affordable, accessible, and safe for everyone training option out there.

If you’re someone starting a weight loss journey right now, you’re going to see results much faster if you just start with cardio (but that doesn’t mean it’s a better option long-term or that you don’t need strength training.)

Furthermore, when you start strength training, you might initially see some weight gain which can actually be discouraging and turn people away from the idea that building muscle comes before weight loss.

And in reality, when you get slimmer and lose fat, your body’s natural hormonal balance essentially paves the way for lean muscle-building in the future (which is mostly a result of better insulin sensitivity.) This impact is what creates that lean and toned body most people are looking to achieve.

Here’s a recap on cardio training:

• You will see initial weight loss results much faster with cardio
• Weight loss helps you pave the way for better results in lean muscle growth
• Weight loss training will put less stress on your joints and that’s why it’s a good idea to start with it and then move your way upward to bigger challenges

COMBINING THE THREE TRAINING TYPES… FOR THE PERFECT HOME/DO ANYWHERE WORKOUT.

Do you want an easy way to jump into a well-rounded exercise routine and start getting results as soon as possible?

When it comes to cardio, you can do it pretty much anywhere. Whether it’s running, sprinting, climbing stairs, planks, burpees, cardio is just synonymous with being active. Even a walking routine can be cardio.

When it comes to weight training, though, most people actually like to start out at home. You may need some equipment as you go if you’re looking for more complex or challenging ways to engage your body. But generally, your body weight is all you need to develop the right kind of lean muscle growth and endurance that will keep you fit, lean, healthy and strong.

Whether you choose to train with weights or your body weight will depend on what you enjoy doing – because that’s what you can effortlessly make a part of your lifestyle.

If you don’t want to visit health clubs, fitness centres, or gyms in Liverpool, Manchester or wherever you’re from, you can either (1) start strength training at home without a wide variety of equipment or weights, (2) train using your body weight or (3) participate in sports and fun activities you enjoy.

What gear do I need to start?

If you’re training at home, you can probably get away with just a dumbbell, adjustable weight, or two resistance bands (one strong, one light). As you’re progressing, you’re going to need some essential equipment, but if you’re creative, you can pretty much find it all at home.

Specific gym gear such as barbells, yoga mats, lifting gloves, and other such appliances will sure make your experience more comfortable, but they’re not necessary especially if you’re a beginner.

How do I get started with creating a routine?

 As a newbie or even an experienced exerciser, you need to focus your attention on mastering the basics.

A few compound movements are going to amount to the majority of your progress at the start and provide a solid foundation for you to do more complex and challenging training as you progress.

For cardio, just focus on getting in your daily movement by setting a walking (steps) goal, playing a sport, doing a short HIIT routine at home.

For weight training, you can either focus on bodyweight training or free weights, and the right answer for you will be the activity you actually enjoy doing.

By bringing cardio and weight training together and creating a program that’s sustainable for you, you’re going to reap the highest amount of health and lifestyle benefits… all with a workout you can do pretty much anywhere!

LOOKING FOR A Personal Trainer or Online Coach in Liverpool or Wirral?

Now I’ve given you a starting point I hope you can now get yourself going however, you may want to skip through the trial & error phase of a DIY approach and move towards Fast Track Results!

If so, then I can help you create that perfect Fitness, Mindset and Lifestyle programme that will get you into the best shape of your life and also be easily integrated into your lifestyle.